Upgrading Dell Vostro 1000, does it worth it?

[troyer1234567]

As for the webcam

sorry that was Ram not cam , my mistake.

 

[troyer1234567]

@PeterMuellerr
just installed windows 10 and it's awful!!!! always cpu is 100% in task manager when i do anything like openning settings or even MyComputer. now i'm going to install win 7 SP1 again to test that

 

[USAFRet]

@PeterMuellerr
just installed windows 10 and it's awful!!!! always cpu is 100% in task manager when i do anything like openning settings or even MyComputer. now i'm going to install win 7 SP1 again to test that

1. Its still doing whatever updates are needed
2. You still have a low end 15 year old system
3. Did you ever install more RAM?

 

[PeterMuellerr]

@PeterMuellerr
just installed windows 10 and it's awful!!!! always cpu is 100% in task manager when i do anything like openning settings or even MyComputer. now i'm going to install win 7 SP1 again to test that

I never advised you to go for Windows 10, so, don't complain to me . Btw., 100% CPU usage is not bad by itself — what matters is the actual time you get your JAVA-programming tasks done. As for all the other activities involving heavy applications (Chrome, MS Office), as I said earlier, I wouldn't count on them. As for Win7: you don't want to have it because it's unsupported. Your computer will turn into a zoo of malware with Windows 7; I see this personally for still-Windows-7-users.

 

[PeterMuellerr]

You still have a low end 15 year old system

That's what all of us will inevitably do, I think, in the future of scarce resources. Thanks @troy12345 for a little bit of saving the Earth by distancing from buying anything new!

 

[USAFRet]

That's what all of us will inevitably do, I think, in the future of scarce resources. Thanks @troy12345 for a little bit of saving the Earth by distancing from buying anything new!

If this system were to be repurposed into something something Linux, then sure...keep it. Use it.

For the stated use of Windows, MS Office, Java dev, Chrome browser...it is on the wrong end of the power curve.

 

[PeterMuellerr]

If this system were to be repurposed into something something Linux, then sure...keep it. Use it.

@troy12345 can also learn programming Java using command-line interface and Notepad in Windows. Not the top developer environment but nothing bad about it for learning JAVA. I could even suggest OS/2, Hurd, MSDOS, PTSDOS, or even CP/M, if there were Java compilers for them and they were supported.

 

[USAFRet]

@troy12345 can also learn programming Java using command-line interface and Notepad in Windows. Not the top developer environment but nothing bad about it. I could even suggest OS/2, Hurd, MSDOS, PTSDOS, or even CP/M, if there were Java compilers for them and they were supported.

If a frog had wings....

I could convince my old Commodore C-64 to do some Java dev.
Doesn't mean its a good idea.

View: https://www.reddit.com/r/c64/comments/6rc9se/java_finally_available_for_the_commodore_64/


(yes, it still runs)

 

[PeterMuellerr]

I could convince my old Commodore C-64 to do some Java dev.

The port has some limitations (without GC, you run out of heap space quickly) , but for hello-world programs, programming a tiny editor, a calculator, a parser, a lexer, a code generator, a toy compiler, etc., it's ok. Pushing Java to C64 might take time, but otherwise it's ok. You won't need to transfer the results of learning to anyone, because noone except you would be looking at your code. So, the lack of connectivity is also not a big issue.
Of course, if you can already program Java, simply sell C64 to someone who cannot. Why not, after all? C64 is vintage, so, worth already more than 1 unit of currency.

 

[troyer1234567]

@PeterMuellerr @USAFRet
so now im using win 7, 4 gb ram and a ssd (wd green 240gb) and removed old hdd. i read somewhere that because ssd can only write like 400tb and then dies or sth like that so we sould disable PageFile if we have SSD drive. i wasn't sure about that, i did it then every time i opened chrome or any other app, i would give a warning "low on memory". i checked memory everytime and it was ok, from 4gb of total ram, about 1.5-2.3 gb was free everytime but it gave me low memory error and everytime chrome freezed so i had to end process that from task manager.
any idea about what PageFile setting is best for me?
thanks

 

[PeterMuellerr]

@troyer123456 : I told you!
Since you ignored my advice and use an SSD, now you ran into one of the problems that comes with it. I said that you'd be better off with a HDD (partially, exactly because of the page file). I think that when the page file is turned on, its size is automatically chosen (if you wish to choose the size manually or are explicitly asked to do it, take twice the RAM size, i.e., 8 GB for you). For an SSD, I'd suggest you turn the page file off and live with low memory and take memory-saving measures (e.g., no junk in Atuostart, no memory-consuming visual gimmicks, no desktop background, no-sound Windows scheme, etc.). If you persist to have a pagefile on an SSD anyway, your laptop would probably still work some time, but the performance due to heavy writes could be low and your SSD would definitely wear off quickly (though it would be difficult for me to quantify “quickly”, note that your SSD has relatively small capacity). Without the pagefile you will be low on memory when running huge applications such as Chrome. There is no free lunch.

If you stick to an unsupported operating system (Windows 7), your laptop will highly likely turn into a malware zoo and probably cease to work.

 

[troyer1234567]

@troyer123456 : I told you!
Since you ignored my advice and use an SSD, now you ran into one of the problems that comes with it. I said that you'd be better off with a HDD (partially, exactly because of the page file). I think that when the page file is turned on, its size is automatically chosen (if you wish to choose the size manually or are explicitly asked to do it, take twice the RAM size, i.e., 8 GB for you). For an SSD, I'd suggest you turn the page file off and live with low memory. If you persist to have a pagefile on an SSD anyway, your laptop would probably still work some time, but the performance due to heavy writes could be low and your SSD would definitely wear off quickly (though it would be difficult for me to quantify “quickly”, note that your SSD has relatively small capacity). Without the pagefile you will be low on memory when running huge applications such as Chrome. There is no free lunch.

yes u were totally right. i have an idea, what if i bring back the hdd and install it instead of DVD Drive, can i page file that and have windows on my ssd? or should the page file be set on the drive which has windows on it?

 

[PeterMuellerr]

yes u were totally right. i have an idea, what if i bring back the hdd and install it instead of DVD Drive, can i page file that and have windows on my ssd? or should the page file be set on the drive which has windows on it?

No idea. I suggest that you keep your DVD drive and simply replace an SSD by an HDD. (Of course, 400 TBW is also not a low number; to get there you'd need to write, including swapping, say, 400 GB daily for 400000/400 = 1000 days, which is over 2 years. The problem is that when an SSD dies, it dies quickly and practically irrecoverably, so you should either do backup often — which is messy — or store only disposable junk there.)

 

[Eximo]

I would not worry about it. The laptop is already end of life. Just make sure you do backup important files.

 

[troyer1234567]

I would not worry about it. The laptop is already end of life. Just make sure you do backup important files.

the ssd is important to me, don't want it to die

 

[troyer1234567]

No idea. I suggest that you keep your DVD drive and simply replace an SSD by an HDD. (Of course, 400 TBW is also not a low number; to get there you'd need to write, including swapping, say, 400 GB daily for 400000/400 = 1000 days, which is over 2 years. The problem is that when an SSD dies, it dies quickly and practically irrecoverably, so you should either do backup often — which is messy — or store only disposable junk there.)

so i will buy a wd blue 320gb hdd, would that be slower in my old laptop or the same as current ssd or maybe faster because my laptop is too old?

 

[Eximo]

I would flip the page file back on and leave it. The drive will die when it dies, some years will go by before this is a concern. Wear leveling should take care of itself and prevent the flash from dying too quickly.

If you really want to add something for a swap file, just get one of those tiny USB flash drives that looks like a wireless dongle.

Been a long time since people have worried about SSD re-writes in that manner. SSDs in laptops is not a new thing, and a lot of them are permanently soldered to the board, if they fail so quickly, we would not be using them.

My desktop is SSD only, I don't even worry about the swap file.

 

[PeterMuellerr]

so i will buy a wd blue 320gb hdd, would that be slower in my old laptop or the same as current ssd or maybe faster because my laptop is too old?

The read operations are faster with an SSD. The write operations can be faster or slower — in general it depends. Large writes of many MB that exceed the drive's cache can be slower with the SSD than with an HDD. Probably, the writes to an SSD are faster than with an HDD as long as the drive is mostly empty and slower when the drive is close to full or has been already stressed by the previous owner. Moreover, some functionality required or strongly suggested for an SSD (e.g., TRIM operation, perhaps parts of SMART) might be missing because the laptop is too old. I say „might“ because I don't know for sure (because I can't check it). Since accesses to the page file are often writes; your drive, whichever it is, will be writing a lot and during all the operation.

 

[PeterMuellerr]

I would flip the page file back on and leave it. The drive will die when it dies, some years will go by before this is a concern. Wear leveling should take care of itself and prevent the flash from dying too quickly.

This would be true for a NEW SSD from an established manufacturer, which would be pointless to buy in the particular case. For a used or cheap SSD, things are different. In particular, @troyer123456 didn't say whether his WD green 240GB is old or new, and if it's new, the user simply wasted money.

Been a long time since people have worried about SSD re-writes in that manner. SSDs in laptops is not a new thing, and a lot of them are permanently soldered to the board, if they fail so quickly, we would not be using them.

My desktop is SSD only, I don't even worry about the swap file.

This is all true for new SSDs and new laptops. For the laptop in question (and the user's outdated operating system), important hardware (and software) bits might hypothetically be missing. If the SSD is new, it could be actually worse because it would need to talk to obsolete hardware never tested in combination with such a new drive. So I advise against pouring new wine into old furs even if it seems to work initially.

 

[Eximo]

This would be true for a NEW SSD from an established manufacturer, which would be pointless to buy in the particular case. For a used or cheap SSD, things are different. In particular, @troyer123456 didn't say whether his WD green 240GB is old or new, and if it's new, the user simply wasted money.

This is all true for new SSDs and new laptops. For the laptop in question (and the user's outdated operating system), important hardware (and software) bits might hypothetically be missing. If the SSD is new, it could be actually worse because it would need to talk to obsolete hardware never tested in combination with such a new drive. So I advise against pouring new wine into old furs even if it seems to work initially.

Very pessimistic view. I've done many a SSD swap into older hardware, no issues. And I am not saying that Windows 7 and potential lack of certain flash friendly capabilities on the SATA controller aren't missing. I am saying that for the next few years this system is relevant, it won't matter. It should be replaced now, and spending MORE money on it is even worse.

I wouldn't go around buying used drives regardless of the system I am upgrading, you can always keep the drive and use it again either as an external or internal drive in another system. SATA is a little dated, but USB to SATA enclosures are also cheap.

 

[troyer1234567]

Very pessimistic view. I've done many a SSD swap into older hardware, no issues. And I am not saying that Windows 7 and potential lack of certain flash friendly capabilities on the SATA controller aren't missing. I am saying that for the next few years this system is relevant, it won't matter. It should be replaced now, and spending MORE money on it is even worse.

I wouldn't go around buying used drives regardless of the system I am upgrading, you can always keep the drive and use it again either as an external or internal drive in another system. SATA is a little dated, but USB to SATA enclosures are also cheap.

i have a question, u guys said my ssd would die , does it mean i won't be able to use it after that or it only loses the data?

 

[troyer1234567]

I would flip the page file back on and leave it. The drive will die when it dies, some years will go by before this is a concern. Wear leveling should take care of itself and prevent the flash from dying too quickly.

If you really want to add something for a swap file, just get one of those tiny USB flash drives that looks like a wireless dongle.

Been a long time since people have worried about SSD re-writes in that manner. SSDs in laptops is not a new thing, and a lot of them are permanently soldered to the board, if they fail so quickly, we would not be using them.

My desktop is SSD only, I don't even worry about the swap file.

can i pagefile on USB Flash Drive??? if yes then its good

 

[Eximo]

i have a question, u guys said my ssd would die , does it mean i won't be able to use it after that or it only loses the data?

SSDs can have a read only failure mode, where data can be extracted but no new data written. But more often than not if a single flash chip stops working all data on the drive is potentially lost without a recovery company getting involved.

 

[troyer1234567]

The read operations are faster with an SSD. The write operations can be faster or slower — in general it depends. Large writes of many MB that exceed the drive's cache can be slower with the SSD than with an HDD. Probably, the writes to an SSD are faster than with an HDD as long as the drive is mostly empty and slower when the drive is close to full or has been already stressed by the previous owner. Moreover, some functionality required or strongly suggested for an SSD (e.g., TRIM operation, perhaps parts of SMART) might be missing because the laptop is too old. I say „might“ because I don't know for sure (because I can't check it). Since accesses to the page file are often writes; your drive, whichever it is, will be writing a lot and during all the operation.

i have another question, why does chrome freezes while pagefile is set to 0? i checked ram while using chrome and it had 2gb free! then why does it need pagefile when it never hits 4gb usage? it always has about 1.6-2.2 gb free space

 

[Eximo]

can i pagefile on USB Flash Drive??? if yes then its good

You can, it is not recommended for the same reason. It will rapidly wear out a cheap flash drive. Nothing would actually be stored there, just temporary files written, so losing it wouldn't hurt the system except in performance.